Cohen’s Construction Accountability Bill Clears Council

By DIEGO BARCACEL PENA

A bill that will increase accountability for roadwork has been passed by the New York City Council and awaits the mayor’s signature. Norwood Councilman Andrew Cohen, who represents the 11th Council District, co-sponsored the bill. He has noticed the amount of construction work around the area as of late. Norwood has seen work along East 208th Street and DeKalb Ave. and pockets of East Gun Hill Road. “Obviously, there’s a number of different people who tear up the street, whether it’s Con Ed, or DEP [Department of Environmental Protection],” said Cohen. “I’m sure the Norwood News has observed that there

COMMUNITY BOARD 7, covering Norwood, Bedford Park, Kingsbridge, Fordham and University Heights sections of the Bronx will hold its monthly board meeting on Dec. 19 at Kittay House, 2550 Webb Avenue, at 6:30 p.m. CB7 committee meetings are held on the following dates at the board office, 229 E. 204th St., at 6:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted: Housing, Land Use & Zoning Committee meets on Dec. 12; and Executive Committee meets on Dec. 14. There will be no Parks Committee meeting as it’s happening on Dec. 7, the same time as the CB7 Annual Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony. For more information,

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

The following letters to the editor were published in the Norwood News December 7-20, 2017 edition Shelter Needs More Checks and Balances The title of the article from the Nov. 9-22 issue (“Fordham Shelter Housing Site Here to Stay”) written by Reggie Francois gives the impression that FHOC [Fordham Hill Owners Corporation] and the neighborhood were defeated when in fact FHOC played a vital role in mobilizing our community so that our voices could be heard. It was written recklessly and in an insensitive tone, where fear was invoked in the commentary. Francois mentioned many of the local legislators present

Council Speaker Takes a Bow, But More Work Lies Ahead (Picture)

By DAVID CRUZ

As the first New York City Council Speaker of Puerto Rican descent, Melissa Mark-Viverito placed a high priority on immigration issues that have helped raise her national profile as a staunch Democratic supporter of immigrant rights and vocal critic of the Trump administration. And as she finishes her last month in office and as speaker, Mark-Viverito, representing the 8th Council District in the South Bronx and Harlem, sees herself lobbing even more criticism at the Trump administration sans a political pulpit. “That’s why we have to fight so hard,” Mark-Viverito said. “There’s so much at stake.” Those were some

“Bill Finger Way” Honors the Bronx Mind Behind Batman

By AARON MAYORGA

Much like his most-famous creation Batman, Bill Finger spent much of his life cloaked in the shadows of others. But on the morning of Dec. 8, Finger was at the center of attention in his hometown. It’s there were superfans of the Dark Knight assembled at the corner of East 192nd Street and the Grand Concourse to rechristen the cross street in honor of Finger, the man who many do not know is the co-creator of the Dark Knight. “It’s pretty surreal,” said Benjamin Cruz, the great-grandson of Finger, whose contributions to the creation of Batman have largely gone overlooked.

Latest Edition of the Norwood News is Out!

Dear Fellow Readers, The latest edition of the Norwood News, covering the Norwood and the surrounding Bronx communities, is out with our second to last issue before year’s end (time flies when you’re having fun). With 16 pages of news from end to end, it’s best we get into it. We begin with page one, of course, and the issue of the Jerome Avenue Rezoning plan still in the making. The plan has received the blessing from the Bronx Borough Board, though with stipulations attached. Critics say it does not go far enough. Read what reporter Aaron Mayorga dug up. Inside

Bronx Borough Board Approves Jerome Ave. Rezoning

By DAVID CRUZ

The Jerome Avenue Rezoning proposal came one step closer to reality as the Bronx Borough Board voted in favor of the massive project. But some strings came attached to the massive plan, which looks to rezone 92 blocks of Jerome Avenue in hopes of ushering more affordable housing. The Board, made up of the chairs and district managers of each Bronx community board along with New York City Council members serving the Bronx, voted in favor of the proposal at its monthly meeting Nov. 27. The plan covers a two-mile stretch within the west Bronx community boards 4, 5 and

The Latest Edition of the Norwood News is Out!

The 23rd edition of the Norwood News, covering the Norwood section of the Bronx, is out. We begin with page one and the worst landlords in Norwood. Public Advocate Letitia James released the annual list of 100 worst landlords in New York City and Narsinh Desai came in at number 70, making him the worst landlord in Norwood. This edition also features the Kingsbridge National Ice Center, for which a state loan has been approved, a crime file about a wanted serial robber who has attacked at least eight women in Norwood and surrounding neighborhoods, and a movement by Community

Vote on Jerome Avenue Rezoning Delayed Until Nov. 27

By DAVID CRUZ

The next leg of the public review process for the complex Jerome Avenue Rezoning plan has been pushed until Nov. 27, eleven days after its original date. The Bronx Borough Board, a panel made up of all Bronx community board chairs and their district managers, was expected to convene on Nov. 16 to discuss the plan. The large panel, headed by Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., is part of the southwest Bronx proposal’s public review process. The board was to hear a presentation by the New York City Department of City Planning, the mastermind agency behind the proposal. The